Subscribe for Updates

Terrazzo Job of the Year 2023

An Authentic Expression of the Region at Minneapolis Convention Center

A walk through the Minneapolis Convention Center is an invitation to join in the fun of the state’s outdoor activities. The terrazzo floor artistically and enduringly portrays fishing, biking, boating, snowshoeing, water skiing, figure skating, sailing, hockey, fly fishing, and snow skiing. This 126,000-square-foot epoxy terrazzo installation earned the prestigious Job of the Year title from the National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association in 2023.

April Meyer, a principal at the local firm Alliiance, was the interior designer behind the project. Ms. Meyer’s portfolio includes over 50 airports and over two million square feet of terrazzo.

Minneapolis Convention Center

 

For Ms. Meyer, a convention center, much like an airport, serves as a gateway to a community. Therefore, the project’s design priority was to craft an authentic sense of place infused with vibrancy and sparkle. Even the neutral field color in the convention center is alive with the luster of mother-of-pearl aggregates.

“Terrazzo is a 50-year floor,” explained Ms. Meyer, known as “the terrazzo queen” by her colleagues. “It’s my go-to material every time I can use it.”

 

Minneapolis Convention Center

 

“We profoundly impacted a space that needed it,” Ms. Meyer reported. The previously dated, dark 1980s interior was transfigured to capture the spirit of the community, all while harmonizing with the existing palette.

Minneapolis Convention CenterThe new installation was poured over the original cementitious terrazzo that had been installed by the same terrazzo contractor, Advance Terrazzo of Coon Rapids, Minnesota. The original cement terrazzo staircases were repolished to like-new condition. To facilitate the frequent remodels and adjustments required in a convention center, the entire project was laid out on a grid of 1-by-4-foot panels.

Ms. Meyer takes pride in the successful outcome of the installation and even more so in the evident satisfaction of her client. “It brings me joy how this amazing client has taken such ownership as active collaborators in a highly interactive process to make it successful,” she said.

Share This
Share this...
Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
Linkedin

Read Similar Articles